Theatre des Variétés Monaco – XXIV Week of the Italian Language in the World

Under the High Patronage of the President of the Republic, with the High Patronage of H.R.H. the Princess of Hanover, and under the Patronage of the Embassy of Italy in Monaco, the Dante Alighieri Association, Monaco Committee, celebrates the “XXIV Week of the Italian Language in the World” (Italian and Books: The World Between the Lines) by organizing two events.

Tuesday, October 15, 2024 – Theatre des Variétés
Presentation of the art book “Il Miliardo”

The event kicks off on October 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the Théâtre des Variétés in Monaco with the presentation of the art book Il Miliardo, 700 years after the death of Marco Polo (Grafiche Fioroni, Casette d’Ete), inspired by The Travels of Marco Polo by the famous Venetian explorer (Venice 1254-1324).
The volume, curated by Paolo Sabbatini Rancidoro and Sandro Pazzi, features a cover showing a section of the Great Wall of China by Monegasque painter Claude Gauthier and opens with a foreword by H.R.H. the Princess of Hanover and Italian Ambassador Manuela Ruosi.
Among the contributors are Senator Francesco Verducci and Maria Betti, President of Dante Alighieri Monaco. “When speaking of travelers and explorers, science & knowledge, dissemination of wisdom, and the discovery of new worlds and peoples,” writes Betti, “I cannot fail to mention the work of Prince Albert I of Monaco, whose centenary of death was marked in 2022. Despite the 500-year gap between Marco Polo and Prince Albert I of Monaco, I see a great affinity in their values, and I believe both made remarkable contributions to world discovery and especially to the spread of knowledge.”

The book explores the connection between language, literature, and art. “I decided to once again take on an international literary and artistic endeavor,” writes Paolo Sabbatini Rancidoro, professor of international relations at the United Nations University for Peace, cultural communications ambassador between Italy and China at the World Sinology Center in Beijing, and former director of the Italian Cultural Institutes in Shanghai, Cairo, Prague, and Brussels. “With the help of my friend Maestro Sandro Pazzi and a group of Italian and foreign artists, we celebrate the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo’s death by evoking his Book of Marvels, which, due to inflation, has become Il Miliardo.”

Other contributors to Il Miliardo, in addition to those mentioned, include international entrepreneur and passionate scholar of Egypt, the Middle and Far East, as well as essayist, Eugenio Benedetti Gaglio; Enrica Bruni; Paolo Mazzoni; Angela Valenti Durazzo; Eugenio de Signoribus; Sandro Siggia. The graphic works are by Alfredo Bartolomeoli, Riccardo Buccella, Agostino Cartuccia, Mattia Caruso, Elisabetta Cosmo, Claude Gauthier, Andrea Gentili, Roberto Gianinetti, Andrea Guerra, Raffaele Iommi, Andrea Lanfranchi, Laura Martellini, Massimiliano Petrini, Sandro Pazzi, Paolo Sabbatini Rancidoro, and Sandro Trotti.

Free entry for members, €15 ticket for non-members.
Reservations at: info.dantemc@gmail.com – Tel +377 97 70 89 47

Wednesday, October 16, 2024 – Theatre des Variétés
“Words and Music: The Italian Language in International Music”

On October 16, as part of the XXIV Week of the Italian Language in the World, at 6:30 p.m. at the Théâtre des Variétés (1 Bd Albert 1er), a show conceived by Alberto Colman (production WSM Trade) featuring Alessio Colombini and Franco Fasano will take place.

Both artists rose to fame in the 1980s with the Sanremo Music Festival. Alessio Colombini participated in the 1980 Festivalbar with his song A proposito d’Amore, later included in the album A Proposito di me. In 1982, he won the Tre per Sanremo contest with Tiziana Rivale and Giorgia Fiorio on the TV show Domenica in. He then participated in the 1983 Sanremo Festival with Scatole cinesi, and from 1993 to 1997 he curated the musical segments of Gianfranco Funari’s shows.

Franco Fasano, after his success at the 1981 Sanremo Festival with Un’isola alle Hawaii, went on to write songs for himself and many unforgettable hits such as Ti lascerò (for Fausto Leali and Anna Oxa); Io Amo and Mi manchi (for Fausto Leali); Regalami un sorriso for Drupi; Certe cose si fanno (for Mina), and many others. Fasano has also been a successful songwriter for the Zecchino d’Oro children’s festival for many years.

Free entry for members, €15 ticket for non-members.
Reservations at: info.dantemc@gmail.com – Tel +377 97 70 89 47